3 days ago
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A wild matchup between Inter Miami and Philadelphia Union took a turn in the second half, with Miami captain Lionel Messi leaving the game early and immediately heading into the locker room.
Messi took a free kick and immediately grabbed at the back of his leg; he then asked for a sub, and exited the game in the 73rd minute. The severity of any potential injury is currently unclear, but it appears that Messi went back into the locker room for treatment.
Sunday’s game had one of the nuttiest first halves in MLS history, with Inter Miami and Philadelphia entering halftime tied 4-4. The Union went up 3-1 in the 20th minute after an early patch of goals, but goals from German Berterame and Luis Suárez gave Miami a slight lead. Milan Iloski ended with a first-half hat trick, after scoring a second penalty kick in first half stoppage time to tie the game.
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With all the goals and the penalties, that first-half stoppage time was particularly long. There was a brief stoppage as the referee’s shoe completely broke apart.
The two teams stayed scoreless for much of the second half. But shortly after Messi exited, Suárez completed a hat trick with a go-ahead goal in the 81st minute. Rodrigo dePaul then added another in stoppage time to give Miami a 6-4 win.
The result ties four other games for the second-highest scoring game in MLS history, with 10 total goals.
Sunday is Inter Miami’s last game before MLS heads into the World Cup break. Messi is set to return as Argentina’s captain as the reigning champions attempt to defend its World Cup title.
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This story will be updated.
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